Man tells judge he wants to change life after baby
A man who has spent nearly half of his life in prison told Judge Francis Comerford he wants to change his life following the birth of his baby daughter.
Dean Barrett (25) with an address at Mountain Road, Tubbercurry appeared before Judge Comerford at Sligo Circuit Court on Wednesday last for sentencing.
He was before the court on six counts of burglary relating to the Tubbercurry area. Mr Keith O’Grady BL instructed by Ms Laura Spellman (solicitor) appeared for Barrett, who had 85 previous convictions.
Investigating sergeant John Walsh of Tubbercurry Garda Station told the court the case relates to a series of burglaries of houses in the Tubbercurry town area between December 2017 and February 2018.
The houses were being renovated at the time by Sligo County Council and most of them were vacant and part of a ghost housing estate.
One of the houses had been vacated by a family a number of days previously while 2 had just been vacated.
Barrett had pleaded guilty on November 6 th at Sligo Circuit Court. Sergeant Walsh said that he made full and frank admissions when interviewed by gardaí on April 9 th 2018. He said that none of the people involved wished to make Victim Impact Statements.
Sergeant Walsh said Barrett had 85 previous convictions including, road traffic, burglary, public order, criminal damage, theft, assault and violent disorder. Mr O’Grady said a Probation Report on Barrett gave a full picture and that he had spent half his life in jail since he was 14.
Barrett then addressed Judge Comerford and told him he had a hard life with drugs and never seemed to beat his addictions. He said that he was 8 months clean after going cold turkey.
He said he was now doing an apprenticeship in the Midlands Prison and engaging with the Probation Officer.
He said Ms Moyles (Probation Officer) was brilliant and one of the nicest people you could meet but that he couldn’t beat his addictions. He said things were different now as he has a partner and an 8 month old child and how not getting to spend Christmas with them was breaking his heart. He said he was so used to jail and didn’t care previously but now he did and how spending the last 8 months in prison was the hardest he ever spent in jail. He said that after he started smoking heroin he couldn’t stop and now it was such a relief to finally get off the stuff. He told the judge his life of crime is over.
Judge Comerford said he wants some indication that Barrett is off drugs and adjourned sentencing until March 2019 for regular drug tests to be carried out. Barrett said he wanted to prove he wants a life for his daughter. The judge told him it was up to him to that the chance.